The Great Equestrian War
by mint20
Summary: This is it. At last, the moment that all of the Princesses were dreading has come. War has finally reared its ugly head in Equestria. What is worse, Equestria is not ready. However, hope will come in the most unlikely of forms. WARNING: Dark. Reader discretion is advised.
1. Prologue

Prologue

_The Great Equestrian War_

Hello and welcome. Your reading this means either greatness and triumph or defeat and sorrow for Equestria. If you're reading this, that means one of two things. Either we won and defeated the confederacy of nations aligned against us, or this book was discovered on my body after I died in battle. Maybe both. If you are a Changeling or Griffon, then know that, even though I am most likely dead, I spit on your nation.

In case you do not know who I am, I am Commander Thunder Crasher of the Equestrian Armed Forces. Some Ponies have called me "The Hope of Equestria." I do not like that title. In fact, I do not like any title or hero worship, but some things you just can't stop.

Speaking of things you can't stop, we made a great mistake. We thought that intervening on the Saddle Arabian's behalf could crow the Griffon Empire and the Changeling Hives into ceasing hostilities. Oh, how wrong we were. But more on that later.

You, reader, you hold in your hooves - or wings, or whatever you use - what may be my final work. This is the record of the bloodiest stage of Equestrian history. The words on this page are not written in ink, but in Pony, Griffon, Buffalo, Changeling, Dragon, and Zebra blood. I hope you can learn from our mistakes. That is, after all, why history is studied.


	2. Chapter 1: Changed Plans

Chapter 1

_The Great Equestrian War_

_Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz_

My alarm clock rudely awoke me.

Moaning, I punched the clock with a hoof. It continued to wine with its annoying ringing.

Still half asleep, I cranked open my eyes to glare at the clock, which read three fifteen. Exasperated, I stumbled out of my warm, comfortable bed to face the day. Not that it was day yet. The sun won't rise for another two and a half hours.

_I knew signing up for Day Guard during the Summer Sun Celebration was a bad idea,_ I thought, sighing. _Too late now._

I stumbled across the room to the bathroom. Wincing when I turned on the light, I splashed ice cold water on my face. Blinking the water away from my eyes, I proceeded to inspect my wings for any loose feathers. Satisfied that there were none, I left the room and retrieved my dress armor. I loath that armor. It is so uncomfortable and clunky. The dress armor (uniform) is distinctive from the service uniform because it was plated with real gold and set with a real emerald gemstone.

I put on the armor, fumbling with several of the straps. Have I mentioned how much I hate that armor? When I had finally put the last buckle in its place, I glanced at my clock, and almost fell over in shock. It was three forty-five! It took fifteen minutes to put that blasted thing on!

I quickly groomed back my mane so to would be presentable and grabbed my sword and spear. Both are very ornamental, not meant for combat. Buckling on the sheath, I trotted out the door.

* * *

"You're late!" said First Lieutenant Storm Rager. "You know the report time for the Summer Sun Celebration is four hundred hours, sharp!"

I glanced at the clock, which read four oh one. Gez, I am less than a minute late. Give it a rest, I thought. I did not say that aloud, though. It sounded like a good way to get a lecture about not mouthing off to your superior officers.

Instead, I saluted and said, "Yes, sir!"

He looked at me skeptically and said, "I don't know why you are still on the force. You are lazy and weak. But I suppose that we have to accept scum like you."

I chopped down on my lip to keep from shooting back at him. _That's a little rich,_ I thought to myself, _seeing as_ somepony _refused to take charge during the Battle of Canterlot._

You see, during the Battle of Canterlot, Captain Shining Armor was detained in Canterlot Castle. Therefore, it fell on the First Lieutenants to lead the counter-attack. Oh, what a nightmare. At the time, there was only one First Lieutenant: Storm Rager. He was such a coward, hiding and trying to save his own fur. The only reason he retained his current rank is because he has one invaluable skill: He can tell when, in a battle, everything hangs in the balance and one determined move by either side means great victory or crushing defeat. Anyways, I assumed command of the Royal Guard during the battle, even though I was only a corporal at the time. Ever since then, Thunder Mane has seen me as a threat, and harbored a dislike for me, even when I was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant.

"Second Lieutenant Thunder Crasher, reporting for duty! Awaiting orders!" I bellowed, suppressing my anger towards the pegasus in front of me.

Storm Rager looked the other way and said in a flat and emotionless voice, "Report to Captain Shining Armor immediately. He will have orders for you. That will be all, Lieutenant. Dismissed."

I saluted, as did he, and we parted ways.

"Captain Shin-"

"Let me stop you there. The Summer Sun Celebration has been cancelled."

I was speechless for several moments. "But, sir-"

"What is more, your presence is ordered in the Great Hall of Canterlot Castle."

"If I may ask, who orders it?"

Shining Armor turned and smiled at me. "Why, none other than the Princesses of Equestria."

I was speechless again. I could think of no reason that the Princesses would want to see me, a pegasus of the Royal Guard! But if they did, then it might not be a good idea to keep them waiting.

"I am on my way."


	3. Chapter 2: Rebellion

Chapter 2: Rebellion

_The Great Equestrian War_

I walked down the corridor to the Great Hall, my mind teeming with possibilities. None of them appealed to me. Rather than bore you with them, I'll just cut to the important part.

The guards- an earth pony on the left and a unicorn on the right- posted in front of the Hall entrance crossed their spears, barring the doors. I stared into their eyes, silently contemplating all the various ways I could defeat both of them and force entrance into the room. I knew that they were doing the same to me.

It was a game we play.

Without taking his eyes off of me, the earth pony used one of his hind legs to knock on the door._ Okay, so that would be my window. I would leap forward, using my wings for speed. I would crash into the earth pony before he had time to react. He would be off balance, so I would be able to draw my dagger and sl-_

The doors opened. Both of the guards flinched and looked towards them. I smirked as I passed them, knowing that their disruption of focus would have been enough to overpower at least one of them before the other could react.

"Next time, colts," I whispered to them as I entered the Great Hall.

I entered the Great Hall, head bowed. I entered slowly and respectfully, as is required by ceremony.

"At ease, Lieutenant," a voice I recognized as belonging to Princess Celestia said.

I slowly raised my head and said "Second Lieutenant Thunder Crasher, reporting as ordered, Your Highness." With the formalities out of the way, I stole a glance around the hall.

A large rectangular wooden table sat in the middle of the hall, which was odd. I had never seen large tables in the hall before, and this one had all kinds of oddities. Most prominently, a map of Equestria was laid out. This map was massive. It covered over half of the table, which was about a fourth the size of the hall. Around it laid other maps. I recognized most of them as maps of the rest of the world, including the Griffon Empire and Saddle Arabia.

My gaze shifted from the table and its contents to the ponies that surrounded it. All of the Princesses were there, including the newly-elevated Princess Twilight Sparkle. She was a legend. The former Bearer of the Element of Magic and a pony who had saved Equestria several times. I was surprised it took so long for her to be elevated to Princess. I also Luna and Cadence around the table. Looking out of place among the Alicorns, the Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, was also at that table. He probably teleported there.

Nopony spoke for a long moment. I shifted in place, unsure if I should speak or wait for one of them. Before I could make up my mind, however, Princess Twilight beat me to it.

"Thunder Crasher, have you heard anything regarding the Crystal Empire's military state?"

I thought for a second, then said, "No, Your Highness."

She winced at "Your Highness," but plowed on. "Well then. You should know that there has been a rebellion."

I was shocked. "The Crystal Ponies have rebelled?"

Cadence jumped in, saying, "Yes, some have. Three days ago, a force of fifteen thousand attacked the barracks in my realm. We held them off, but they escaped after the fighting."

"Do we have any idea why the Crystal Ponies turned on you?" I asked.

"It is unknown. However, we have suspicions, none of them pleasant."

"Could you tell me the most likely?"

Princess Luna sighed, then said, "As is my duty as the guardian of the night, I keep watch over ponies' dreams. Oftentimes, my mental probe strays outside of the borders of Equestria. Recently, it went into the Crystal Empire. What I saw in some of those minds-" she shuddered, then gathered her thoughts, "-it was awful. Some foreign _presence_ was in many of those ponies dreams. It was speaking terrible things about Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. I tried to dispel the presence, but I only succeed some of the time."

I felt a shiver run down my spine. Unconsciously, my wings gave a nervous flap. "Okay," I said, "this all has been very frightening. However, what does this have to do with me?"

"Before we tell you that, there is more bad news," Princess Celestia said. "We have been watching both the Griffon Empire and the Changeling Hives, and we have discovered an alarming degree of military activity from them. We estimate that the griffons have doubled, at least, the size of their army."

I felt myself turning white. But that was not all. "In addition, the Changeling Hives had banded together. It seems they have formed a confederacy."

At this, I almost blacked out. "It's too much to hope they are going to war with each other, isn't it?"

Celestia nodded. "We have reason to suspect that Saddle Arabia is their first target."

I nodded, but then froze. "If Saddle Arabia is their _first_ target, then who, pray tell, is their second?"

The Princesses looked at each other. "Equestria," they said simultaneously.


	4. Chapter 3: New Duties

**Author's Note: Okay, who got the reference last chapter? Anybody?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_****, nor have I helped in its production. :(**

* * *

Chapter 3: New Duties

_The Great Equestrian War_

Silence. I paled at the implications of this. "But, Your Highnesses," I said, "Equestria is not ready for war!"

"We know," said Celestia. "That is where you come in."

Me? I thought.

"You see," said Shining Armor, " you are one of my best soldiers. You are great tactician and a brilliant fighter. Most of all, you are loyal and responsible. You are the pony that must lead us."

I said something real intelligent, like "What...what does this mean?" Sharp as a needle, I know.

Princess Celestia did not seem irritated by my stupidity, however. She smiled and said, "You are right, Equestria is not ready for war. Most ponies don't even realize what war means. You, however, are different. You...understand."

I felt panic enveloping me. "You really think I can do this?"

Shining Armor snorted and tossed his head. "During the Battle of Canterlot, who took charge? You. Who saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives in the fighting? You. And who, at the conclusion of the battle, handed command of the Royal Guard back to me without a second of hesitation? You. You have what we look for when promoting soldiers to lead officers."

Princess Cadence jumped in. "From what Shining Armor has told me, you know what you are doing. Nopony else is more qualified than you, Lieutenant Thunder Crasher. Will you accept the rank of Commander?"

I hesitated, conflicted. Seeing my pause, Princess Twilight softened and asked, "What is the matter, Thunder Crasher? Is something wrong?"

"I...I can't lead! I have never led more than a platoon of soldiers! And from what you are suggesting, I will end up leading thousands of combat troops! What makes you think I can handle that?"

"We just told you," said Luna, frowning. "There is nopony more qualified than you."

"With all due respect, Princesses, I think you have lost it. I can not do this. Even if I thought I could do it, I think it is wrong for one pony to have so much power."

"That is way you must be the one to wield it," said Princess Celestia. "We know that you will not be tempted by the power that office possesses."

"How do you know that?"

Celestia smiled and responded cryptically, "One of the interesting things of being a Princess is that you don't have to explain yourself to anypony."

I smiled and nodded, turning the idea over in my head. After a moment, I asked Shining Armor, "What do you truly think if I was promoted?"

Shining Armor hesitated, then said, "I think I would be losing a great soldier, but gaining a brilliant commanding officer."

Decided, I asked him, "What is the pay like?" A smile was barely playing on my lips.

"Five times your current," Shining Armor responded, straight-faced.

"Okay. I'm in."

* * *

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	5. Chapter 4: War Begins

**Me: Thunder Crasher, do the disclaimer for me. I am tired after my writing frenzy.**

**Thunder Crasher: Me? Really? Must I?**

**Me: Yes. Now do it, or I will find a way to kill you by the end of this fan fiction.**

**Thunder Crasher: Fine. Mint20 owns no part of My Little Pony. And by the way, its Commander Thunder Crasher.**

* * *

Chapter 4: War Begins

_The Great Equestrian War_

"Excellent!" said Princess Celestia. "If that is the case, we must not dawdle. War might be upon us at the end of the hour."

As if on cue, a knock boomed throughout the chamber. All of the members of the council, myself included, looked at each other. Luna seized the initiative and cast a spell to open the doors. There stood First Lieutenant Storm Rager.

He shot me a gaze that mixed contempt and curiosity quite well.

"Well?" asked Princess Luna. "Stop wasting our time."

Storm Rager finched, then said, "My apologies, Your Highnesses. We have news from across the Eastern Sea." He produced an envelope from a slit in his armor.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," said Princess Twilight. "Dismissed."

Princess Celestia grasped the envelope with her magical grasp. The door slammed as Storm Rager walked out.

"Classified as Class Alpha," she muttered.

I stood and saluted the council. "Seeing as this is ten or eleven levels above my pay grade, I will leave you to it," I said. They all looked at me strangely, "What?"" I said.

Princess Twilight said in a sarcastic voice, "What is your new rank?"

"Commander…" I said.

"And what does that entail?"

"Leading Equestria's army."

"Well, in order for you to properly lead the armies of Equestria, you need to be privy to all of the important details of the nation. _Nothing_ is above your pay grade."

"On the other hoof…" Shining Armor said carefully. "I am not. The Captain of the Royal Guard is only entitled to view documents classified as equal to or less than Class Gamma." With that, he walked out of the room. The door boomed shut behind him.

"Alright…" I said carefully, sitting down gingerly. "What is the deal?"

Princess Celestia slowly broke the seal of the envelope. Starting to feel my fear, I stole a glance around the table to see how the alicorns were doing. Princess Luna looked determined and Princess Cadence looked uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Princess Twilight had an air of paranoia about her. Mean-meanwhile, Princess Celestia's face was a mask of calm as she read the report. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with my sword.

Finally, after what seemed to be years, Princess Celestia looked up. Before she could even open her mouth, Princess Twilight jumped in and asked frantically, "What has happened? Is somebody marching on us? Has the Changeling Hives declared war? Has-"

Princess Celestia held up a hoof, cutting of the rambling flow of words from her former student. "What has happened," she said, speaking slowly and with great emphasis, "is that the Griffon Empire has declared war upon Saddle Arabia. Even now, their armies are pouring into the nation."

I was taken aback. "Remind me, what is the story about the Saddle Arabians? I know they are a nation ponies, but that is about it."

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes and looked at Princess Celestia and said, "I told you that we need a stronger emphasis on world politics in public schools."

"Touche," Princess Celestia said, snorting. "Anyways, the Saddle Arabians control a respectable tract of land on the far side of the Eastern Sea. Their nation is a republic. It was born when my sister and myself overthrew Discord and established the Equestrian Diarchy. They were not happy with living there lives under our rule, and decided to leave Equestria and form a new nation. They have a history of war-like ways. In addition, they are secretive and territorial. Regardless, they are still fellow ponies and our brothers and sisters."

"Agreed," I said. "Do we know anything about the Rules of Engagement? Do we know anything about how prisoners of war are being treated?"

Princess Celestia glanced back at the document, then said in a sorrowful voice, "It is mostly confusion. Based off of this report, the Saddle Arabians are fighting with everything they have. However, the Griffons are using...questionable tactics and the prisoners...well, it is harsh."

I was suspicious and asked, "Exactly _what_ is happening with the prisoners?"

"Well, nopony is sure. However, it is believed that they are being taken as slaves. As we all know, the Griffons are very harsh with their slaves, especially the ones that work in the mines."

A shocked silence filled the room. Slavery had never been a part of Equestrian culture. Finally, I broke the silence with the ten-million-bit question.

"What happens with the slaves in the mines?"

"Well...keep in mind that most of this is unconfirmed, but the suspicions are that the earth ponies are forced to do hard digging and move huge cartfuls of minerals. The unicorns are drained of their magic finding deposits of valuable materials. If they fail to recover their magic fast enough, they are beaten and tortured. Worst of all, the pegasi are locked in cages and act as living poison detectors, their anatomy making them sensitive to poisonous gases."

My eyes narrowed into slits. Even for me, who expected something like that, the descriptions of how they were being treated was repugnant.

"We should intervene," said Princess Twilight. "We _must_ intervene."

I quickly thought about that and said, "Not yet. First, we must know more about the enemy."

Princess Twilight turned and looked at me. "What do you mean, _not yet_? Ponies are being hurt and dying, forced to work in terrible conditions, and you say to wait? Maybe we made a mistake in selecting you for the office of Commander."

I closed my eyes and counted to five. When I opened my eyes again, I said in a steely calm voice, "I am forced to allow that comment to pass, due to the fact that you outrank me. However, kindly never say anything like that to me again. With all due respect, think a little, Princess Twilight Sparkle. The Royal Guard is far from an effective fighting force, and there is only two hundred of them! I need at least a few months to build an effective army, probably closer to a year."

Princess Twilight looked down and said, "I am sorry, Commander. My emotions got the better of me."

"Apology accepted," I responded. Turning to Princess Cadence, I asked, "I trust that we will have the backing of the Crystal Empire in this affair?"

"Of course," she said, without hesitation. "I will mobilize the Crystal Army as soon as I return to my realm."

"Good. On a different note, I would like to request that we call Shining Armor back, and grant him clearance to read this document. Try as we might, we cannot keep this a secret for long. He has a right to know."

"Very well," said Princess Celestia. Her horn glowed briefly. "He is coming."

Barely ten seconds later, there was a bright purple flash, and Shining Armor materialized in the room. "You called, Your Highnesses?"

Princess Twilight passed him the document. "Read it. You need to know."

He took the document with only a second's hesitation and read it. His eyebrows met in a narrow line and he snorted angrily. "I worried about something like this."

"Captain Shining Armor, attention!" I barked at him.

He snapped to attention.

I saluted him, then said, "I would like to give you a choice. Please, feel no obligations when making a decision."

He nodded.

"I would like to have you join Princess Cadence in the Crystal Empire. You will be released from all obligations with the Royal Guard. Or, if you so choose, you may remain in Equestria with us and retain your rank and title."

He paused, a look of confusion forming on his face. "Permission to speak freely and off the record, sir?"

"Of course," I answered.

"Why would you ask me a question like that? Are you not satisfied with my service?"

"No, of course not!" I responded, shocked that he would think such a thing. "The reason I ask is two reasons. First, Princess Cadence will most likely need assistance in the Crystal Empire, preparing it for war. Also, the world is about to enter its darkest hour. I thought that you may appreciate the opportunity to spend more time with your loved ones."

Shining Armor's face relaxed. "I appreciate the offer. However, I am an Equestrian Pony at heart."

I smiled. "Glad to hear that. Dismissed, Captain."

He left.

I turned and looked to the council. "By your leave?" I asked.

Princess Celestia nodded and said, "Go. You have a lot of business to attend to."

**Remember to review! Hope you enjoyed!**


	6. Chapter 5: It Just Got Real

**Mint20: ****_Moans, then collapses from exhaustion._**

**Commander Thunder Crasher: Don't mind him. He has just been up all night, writing. Mint20 owns no part of My Little Pony.**

* * *

Chapter 5: It just got real

_The Great Equestrian War_

I entered my apartment, deep in thought. All of this news was bad, but there was hope.

All right, let's do this, I thought. Moving to the nearby desk, I hunted up a quill, some ink, and plenty of paper. I quickly went to work, dipping my quill in the ink every few seconds. I had finished one and a half of pages when I broke the tip off of the quill.

I decided to take a break there, seeing as I have no spare quills that I could use. I looked over what I had.

_The new Equestrian Armed Forces shall be made up of groups called "armies," and direct command of the Army General and his or her four advisors. Each army is to consist of ten thousand ponies. Subdividing each army, the next level is the "legion," each comprised of five thousand ponies and lead by the Legate. After that is the "cohort," each consisting of five hundred ponies. Again dividing the cohort, there is the "century," under the command of the one pony ranked as "Centurion." Each century is made up of one hundred combat troops. Again dividing each century is the "tent-group," which is made up of ten ponies and lead by a "Chief." The tent-groups are to always sleep together when on campaign. The Chief of each tent-group is responsible for the well-being of the ponies under his or her command. Every day, the Army General (and staff) and the Legates will rise early and meet regarding the army. The Legates will then return to their Legions. Here, they will call the ten Cohort Majors and distribute orders. After this, the five Centurions of each cohort will meet and receive orders from the Cohort Major. Then, the Chiefs of each tent-group will meet and receive orders from the Centurion. The Chief is then responsible see that orders of the Centurion, and, by extension, the Commander of Equestria's Armed Forces, are carried out._

_The composition of the tent-group is as follows: The group is to consist of a minimum of two ponies from each Tribe. It is recommended, but not required, for the group to be close friends, in order to ensure cooperation._

_Nopony will be barred from serving in the Equestrian Armed Forces for any reason aside from failing training or presenting a threat to fellow ponies. Preventing either mares or stallions from any Tribe from fighting in the EAF purely due to gender or Tribe is a crime. In addition, anypony who has the required merit can rise to any open position or rank, again regardless of gender or Trib-_

There was where the tip of my quill broke. I looked it over the notes, and thought that it was pretty good. But it is not enough.

* * *

I knocked on the doors the the Hall, again. They opened, revealing the Princesses still hard at work. All except for Cadence, who must be off preparing the Crystal Empire.

"Yes Commander? What is the issue?" Princess Luna asked.

"As you know, due to the lack of ability of our armies, I have drawn up an example for organizing new armies. I request that you look at them."

Princess Celestia looked at the took the piece of paper with her magical grasp and looked over it. After a moment, she passed it off to Princess Luna, who in turn passed it to Princess Twilight. They all looked to each other, then said simultaneously, "When do you plan to begin?"

"As soon as possible." I responded. "However, that leads me to my next topic: For some time - six months at least, by my estimates - Equestria will be at the mercy of foreign invaders. As a result, I suggest that we enlist allies."

Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. "What do you mean by 'allies?'" Princess Luna asked, speaking slowly and carefully.

"Simple. I suggest we hold a summit of all nations that are willing to participate. I am certain that we may find some allies, at least."

Everypony looked uncomfortable. I looked around the table, slightly exasperated. "What is the big deal?"

"He doesn't know," Princess Luna said.

"No, he does not," responded Princess Celestia. Her voice was sorrowful.

"Know? Know what?" I asked, utterly bewildered.

They all looked to each other, then Princess Celestia levated a piece of paper towards me. "This just came in from the Griffon Empire and the Changeling Hives.

I scanned the document. One line jumped out at me:_ ...no nation, wishing to avoid war, should enter into an alliance or treaty with the nations of Equestria or Crystal Empire._

"This was released to all nations on this planet. It is clear now. They are coming. And we are on our own."


End file.
